Man Utd sign £42m star, Liverpool clinch first deal – Jorge Mendes' dream transfer window

As Manchester United and Liverpool plan their next deals in the summer transfer window, it is likely they will need to summon super agent Jorge Mendes to land their top targets.

The Portuguese businessman often lurks behind the scenes pulling the strings in the European transfer market, engineering deals containing eye-watering fees and hefty commissions.

His Gestifute agency represents 137 players with an estimated market value of £1.26bn (€1.47bn), according to Transfermarkt, making them one of the largest football agencies in the world.

Mendes represented Cristiano Ronaldo two decades and was instrumental in securing his return to Old Trafford for a second spell in 2021, before the pair split over his record-breaking deal with Al-Nassr in December 2022.

Among the big names on his client list are PSG misfit Manuel Ugarte and Benfica starlet Antonio Silva, whom have been linked with United and Liverpool respectively in recent months.

Mendes’ influence amongst the top chairman and sporting directors cannot be underestimated, with the 58-year-old possessing the pulling power to convince players to make or break a move. He also displayed his power at Wolves by bringing players such as Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho to Molineux.

In addition to handling Felix’s move to Chelsea, Mendes will be hoping United follow up on their interest in Ugarte, who is keen to leave Parc des Princes after an unhappy first season in France.

The 23-year-old is expected to leave the club after falling out of favour with Luis Enrique and Erik ten Hag is reportedly keen on signing the Uruguayan to add depth to his midfield.

Similarly, Liverpool are yet to make a signing this summer and could be tempted into the market for a new defender, with 19-year-old Silva a long-term target for the Reds.

With each potential transfer fee falling into the £40-45m bracket, Mendes will be keen to push through both deals to make another sizeable deposit into his bank account. Not that he needs it, though; Mendes has already pulled off several deals in England, helping Chelsea land Pedro Neto in a £54m deal ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham this summer.

Neto officially joined the Blues in a £54million transfer from Wolves on Sunday, signing a six-year deal with the option for a further year. The 24-year-old was presented to the fans during their 1-1 pre-season friendly against Inter Milan.

While the Blues will feel like they got one over their rivals and pulled off a coup, Mendes is the real winner after securing another money-spinning commission transfer for his efforts.

Not far away from Stamford Bridge, Mendes was in London already lining up his next deal with Joao Felix now in talks over a permanent move to the Blues – some 14 months after his loan spell ended.

If he can finally engineer Felix’s permanent exit from Atletico Madrid and clinch moves for Ugarte and Silva before the end of August, it could prove to be Mendes’ biggest summer to date.